Hello again everyone! Gamgee here with yet another rousing edition of the Tolkien Fun Section! Our last winner was Erica Conn! Good job my lady!!! The answers were: 1.Tarciryan2.Freawine3.DenethorHere are the questions for today:1) "Name the great leader dubbed "The Lame""2) "unpleemk" (Scrambled Tolkien person, place or thing)3) "He looks as if he were spoiling for a race, and not newly come from a long journey." (Who said this?)As always, Mail me with your answers, the 1st person to send all 3 correct answers in one mailing will be posted here next time! Good luck.........Gamgee

Greetings from the chambers of The Hall of Fire. We've come up with another topic for your debate, this one inspired by a suggestion sent in from regular HoF chatter Joe.

What is the Most Important Battle in the History of Middle-earth?

Evil wasted no time rearing its ugly head in the world of Tolkien's creation... Eru's song was incomplete before Melkor's discord became a part of the mix. And in all ages of Middle-earth there has been battle after battle, war after war, in attempt to stem the dark tide or wipe it out completely.

Which of these battles was the most pivotal in Middle-earth's history? The Battle of the Powers? The Battle of Unnumbered Tears? The Battle of the Peak? The War of Wrath? The Battle of the Pelennor Fields? Perhaps the Kinslaying? The Last Alliance of Men and Elves? Or even the Battle of Bywater?

You be the judge, but be prepared to defend your call! We’re pleased to welcome Joe on board this weekend as our guest moderator. Thanks for the topic idea Joe!

Send us your topics! If we pick your idea for discussion, you will be our guest co-moderator for that weekend. You can help run one, two, or all three chats! Of course, you will not be required to moderate; this is our way of thanking those of you who take the time to put a topic together.

Hello everyone! I hope you are all ready for another edition of the Tolkien fun section! Our last winner was Francesco Amadio! Good job friend! The answers were:1. Araval2. Beregond3. GaladrielHere are the questions for today:1) "Name the father of Earnil I."2) "eeniwfar" (Scrambled Tolkien person, place or thing)3) "I will, when I learn what you are fit for." (Who said this?)As always, Mail me with your answers, the 1st person to send all 3 correct answers in one mailing will be posted here next time! Good luck.........Gamgee

Hello again everyone! Gamgee here with yet another rousing edition of the Tolkien Fun Section! Our last winner was Giuseppe! Good job my friend!!! The answers were: 1. Dark2. Brandybuck3. BilboHere are the questions for today:1) "Who was the 13th king of Arthedain?"2) "reengbdo" (Scrambled Tolkien person, place or thing)3) "I know what it was that you last saw." (Who said this?)As always, Mail me with your answers, the 1st person to send all 3 correct answers in one mailing will be posted here next time! Good luck.........Gamgee

Hullo Hall of Fire fans, it’s time to update you on some changes with The Hall of Fire. Thanks to your great suggestions we’ve put our thinking caps on and have come up with a few new things, including a new time for our Saturday chat. But first… our next topic!

Fate vs Free Will in Middle-earth

In the work of JRR Tolkien, one can argue that fate plays a part in everything and is the driving force behind the history of Middle-earth. One can cite examples throughout The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings: Turin's doom, the prophecies of Mandos; the finding of the Ring by Bilbo; the forsight of Elrond and Gandalf that beings weaker than themselves would end up dealing with the One Ring; Malbeth the Seer's little ditty that predicted Aragorn would walk the Paths of the Dead.

On the other hand you could argue that it is free will which dominates the history of Middle-earth. Again, from the Silmarillion to the Return of the King, one can site examples where free will plays a decisive roll: the actions of Feanor in not healing the Two Trees and compelling his sons and followers to desert Aman; Bilbo’s resolve to enter Smaug’s lair and discover his weak spot; Frodo volunteering (volunteering!) to take the Ring, and Sam's groundshaking determination.

So what do you think? Is it Free Will or Fate which drives the history of Middle-earth? Come over to The Hall of Fire this weekend for the great debate, and argue your case or decide for yourself. Please feel free to bring references, and arm yourself with quotes!

Our talk will be at 7:00 EST, a new time. Please note this change so you don’t miss our talk. A special thanks to Melian for the topic suggestion.

Saturday Chat: 7:00 EDT [12:00 GMT] +++NOTE THIS IS A NEW TIME+++Sunday Chat: 6:00 GMT [1:00 EDT]Place: #thehalloffire on theonering.net server; come to our chatroom Barliman's and then type /join #thehalloffire. If you are unable to reach our chats, or have topic suggestions or feedback, please email us here

You can be a Hall of Fire Moderator!

That’s right folks, you can run a Hall of Fire! How you ask???

Send us your topics! If we pick your idea for discussion, you will be our guest co-moderator for that weekend. You can help us run the Saturday or Sunday chat, or both! Of course, you will not be required to work the chat; this is our way of honoring those of you who take the time to put a topic together.

Hello again all! I hope you all have been brushing up on your Tolkien trivia! Our last winner was Cindy Rose!!! Good job Cindy Rose!!!! The answers were:1) Springle-Ring2) Caradhras3) MerryHere are the questions for today:1) "What was the answer to the 5th riddle asked in Bilbo and Gollum's riddle game?"2) "rdnykuabbc" (Scrambled Tolkien person. place or thing)3) "Oh, I don't know. I can't count the days in Rivendell!" (Who said this?)As usual, Mail me with your answers, the 1st person to send all 3 correct answers in one mailing will be posted here next time! Good luck.........Gamgee